HB 423 — An Act establishing the Future Voter Program; providing for prevoter registration of eligible high school students; and imposing powers and duties on the Secretary of Education, the Secretary of the Commonwealth and county commissions.

PRINTER'S NO.    415

                   THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA



                       HOUSE BILL
                       No. 423
                                              Session of
                                                2025

     INTRODUCED BY MARKOSEK, VENKAT, PIELLI, GIRAL, BURGOS, HILL-
        EVANS, FLEMING, FIEDLER, OTTEN, KENYATTA, SANCHEZ, KHAN,
        CIRESI, STEELE, HOHENSTEIN, FRANKEL, SCHLOSSBERG, DALEY,
        DEASY, GREEN, MADDEN, CEPEDA-FREYTIZ, CERRATO, MAYES, WARREN
        AND WAXMAN, JANUARY 31, 2025

     REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION, JANUARY 31, 2025


                                   AN ACT
 1   Establishing the Future Voter Program; providing for prevoter
 2      registration of eligible high school students; and imposing
 3      powers and duties on the Secretary of Education, the
 4      Secretary of the Commonwealth and county commissions.
 5      The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
 6   hereby enacts as follows:
 7   Section 1.   Short title.
 8      This act shall be known and may be cited as the Future Voters
 9   Act.
10   Section 2.   Legislative finding and declaration.
11      The General Assembly finds as follows:
12          (1)   The Commonwealth is committed to promoting and
13      fostering civic participation and granting equal access to
14      voter registration for all voters.
15          (2)   The Commonwealth recognizes the importance of
16      promoting and fostering lifelong civic participation.
17          (3)   Many emerging adults are denied access to the most
 1      popular form of voter registration, motor voter.
 2          (4)   If an individual obtains a driver's license at 16 or
 3      17 years of age, the individual may not understand the
 4      importance of the right to vote and may fail to register to
 5      vote when the individual reaches 18 years of age.
 6          (5)   A statistical analysis of all registered voters in
 7      this Commonwealth revealed that in 2024, only 9% of
 8      registrants were 18 to 24 years of age. Denial of motor voter
 9      to so many emerging adults may contribute to lower voter
10      registration levels in the youngest voter age groups.
11          (6)   However, some studies show that emerging and young
12      adults who vote are likely to continue to do so.
13          (7)   The representational disparities in voter
14      registration rates and voting within the emerging and young
15      adult electorate will improve by enacting election policies
16      that engage all emerging and young adults in this
17      Commonwealth.
18          (8)   This act is intended to increase voter turnout in
19      emerging and young adults.
20   Section 3.   Definitions.
21      The following words and phrases when used in this act shall
22   have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
23   context clearly indicates otherwise:
24      "County commission."     A registration commission established
25   under 25 Pa.C.S. § 1203 (relating to commissions).
26      "Eligible student."      An individual enrolled in a school
27   entity in this Commonwealth who is 16 or 17 years of age.
28      "Future voter."   An eligible student who:
29          (1)   except for age, meets all the qualifications for
30      voting prescribed by the Constitution of Pennsylvania and the

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 1      laws of this Commonwealth; and
 2            (2)   provides information related to voter registration
 3      to the Department of State or the appropriate county
 4      commission to facilitate preregistration to vote.
 5      "Program."     The Future Voter Program established under this
 6   act.
 7      "School entity."     As defined in section 111.1 of the act of
 8   March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), known as the Public School Code
 9   of 1949.
10      "Secretary."     The Secretary of Education of the Commonwealth.
11      "Sign up."     A procedure that allows an eligible student to
12   register to vote prior to the time that the eligible student
13   will be 18 years of age by the next election.
14      "SURE system."     The Statewide Uniform Registry of Electors as
15   defined in 25 Pa.C.S. § 1102 (relating to definitions).
16   Section 4.     Future Voter Program.
17      (a)     Establishment.--The secretary, in consultation with the
18   Secretary of the Commonwealth, shall establish the Future Voter
19   Program for use by school entities to provide age-appropriate
20   instructions to students in grades 1 through 12 on topics
21   related to civics and civic participation, including educational
22   programming on the history of the Constitution of the United
23   States and the Constitution of Pennsylvania.
24      (b)     Program components.--
25            (1)   On September 17 of each school year, or on the
26      preceding Friday when September 17 falls on a nonschool day,
27      "Constitution and Citizenship Day" shall be observed by each
28      school entity as part of the school entity's program. As part
29      of this observance, a school entity may designate particular
30      laws or may develop school-entity specific programming

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 1    related to civics and civic participation for special
 2    observance.
 3        (2)   During the observance of "Constitution and
 4    Citizenship Day" in accordance with paragraph (1), each
 5    school entity shall, as resources permit, coordinate a voter
 6    registration event in each history or social studies class
 7    scheduled for eligible students. The voter registration event
 8    shall:
 9              (i)    Be a component of each school entity's program.
10              (ii)    Make voter sign-up or voter registration
11        available to all eligible students.
12              (iii)    Provide all students who will be 18 years of
13        age or older by the time of the next general election the
14        opportunity to register to vote online in the classroom.
15              (iv)    Make voter registration applications available
16        in the classroom. Eligible students who do not possess a
17        driver's license or State identification card shall be
18        provided a voter registration application. This
19        subparagraph shall not be construed to prevent or
20        prohibit eligible students who hold a driver's license or
21        State identification card from requesting and receiving a
22        voter registration application.
23              (v)    Include adequate time for eligible students to
24        complete the voter registration process in class.
25              (vi)    Allow students who are 16 or 17 years of age to
26        sign up to register to vote, including by mail. Except as
27        provided in subsection (d), the name of a student who
28        signs up to register to vote under this subparagraph may
29        not be added to the SURE system until the student reaches
30        18 years of age.

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 1      (c)   Duties of secretary.--The secretary, in consultation
 2   with the Secretary of the Commonwealth or the county
 3   commissions, shall:
 4            (1)   Distribute voter registration materials to school
 5      entities for use by eligible students to register to vote at
 6      school on "Constitution and Citizenship Day" or on any other
 7      school day that may be designated by a school entity.
 8            (2)   Notify each school entity of the availability of
 9      voter registration materials by electronic mail or in any
10      other appropriate manner.
11            (3)   Consult with the Secretary of the Commonwealth to
12      provide registration methods that enable the electronic
13      collection of information on the number of eligible students
14      who registered to vote on "Constitution and Citizenship Day."
15      (d)   Duties of Secretary of the Commonwealth.--The Secretary
16   of the Commonwealth, in consultation with county commissions,
17   shall:
18            (1)   Provide for the registration of students who have
19      attained 16 years of age and who hold a valid Pennsylvania
20      driver's license or identification card as part of the
21      program by submitting a voter registration application
22      electronically on the Department of State's publicly
23      accessible Internet website. The Secretary of the
24      Commonwealth may accept the last four digits of a student's
25      Social Security number if the student does not hold a valid
26      driver's license or identification card. Each student must
27      attest to the truth of the information provided on the
28      application by affirmatively accepting the information as
29      true.
30            (2)   For each electronic registration application

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 1      received under paragraph (1), obtain a digital copy of the
 2      applicant's driver's license or State identification card
 3      signature from the Department of Transportation.
 4            (3)   Provide for the maintenance and storage of pending
 5      registration records for all future voters who are not 18
 6      years of age in a database engineered to ensure that no
 7      pending registration record will be recorded in or otherwise
 8      transferred to the SURE system until the future voter is 18
 9      years of age and is no longer in pending status.
10            (4)   Assign a unique identifier to future voters who are
11      under 18 years of age.
12            (5)   Permit each county commission to have access to the
13      future voter database and to allow a county commission to
14      send notices to future voters related to registration status
15      or any other information related to voter registration.
16      (e)   Disclosure not authorized.--Notwithstanding any other
17   provision of law, information that is otherwise disclosable
18   under the act of February 14, 2008 (P.L.6, No.3), known as the
19   Right-to-Know Law, shall not be deemed public information and,
20   except for the purpose of processing and delivering ballots,
21   shall not be disclosed on any eligible student until the
22   eligible student reaches 18 years of age.
23      (f)   Construction.--Nothing in this section shall be
24   construed to prohibit a school entity from designating any other
25   school day or time to facilitate the intent and purpose of this
26   act.
27   Section 5.     Voter registration applications.
28      (a)   Completeness.--
29            (1)   A voter registration application received by the
30      Department of State or a county commission through the

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 1      program shall be considered complete only if the application
 2      contains the information required under 25 Pa.C.S. § 1327
 3      (relating to preparation and distribution of applications),
 4      provided that an eligible student who registers to vote
 5      through the program shall not be considered to be registered
 6      unless the eligible student will be 18 years of age by the
 7      date of the next election. An eligible student shall:
 8                  (i)    Attest to the truth of the information provided
 9            on the application by affirmatively accepting the
10            information as true.
11                  (ii)    If signing up to register by mail, provide a
12            signature for voter registration purposes.
13                  (iii)    Affirmatively acknowledge that the student
14            will not vote until the student reaches 18 years of age.
15            (2)   A voter registration application received by the
16      Department of State or a county commission through the
17      program shall be classified as pending if the eligible
18      student will be 18 years of age by the date of the next
19      election. The Department of State or county commission shall
20      remove the pending status when the future voter attains 18
21      years of age.
22      (b)   Incomplete application.--If an application is not
23   complete, the county commission shall promptly notify the
24   eligible student in accordance with 25 Pa.C.S. § 1328 (relating
25   to approval of registration applications).
26      (c)   Disclosure not authorized.--
27            (1)   The personal identifiable information of eligible
28      students under 18 years of age who sign up or register to
29      vote through the program shall be exempt from public
30      inspection, copying and disclosure under the act of February

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 1      14, 2008 (P.L.6, No.3), known as the Right-to-Know Law,
 2      except for the purpose of processing and delivering ballots.
 3          (2)   A county commission shall not include the personal
 4      identifiable information contained in an eligible student's
 5      voter registration application on the master list of
 6      prospective jurors prepared by the county under 42 Pa.C.S. §
 7      4521 (relating to selection of prospective jurors) and no
 8      eligible student shall be qualified to serve as a juror under
 9      42 Pa.C.S. § 4521 until the eligible student reaches 18 years
10      of age.
11   Section 6.   Guidelines.
12      The secretary, in consultation with the Secretary of the
13   Commonwealth, shall promulgate and adopt guidelines to
14   administer the provisions of this act.
15   Section 7.   Effective date.
16      This act shall take effect immediately.




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